Means for treating cloth, fabrics, etc.



C. A. BREWER MEANS FOR TREATING CLOTH, FABRICS, ETC

May 8, 1928.

Filed Aug. 6. 1926 Patented May 8, 192.8.

- UNITED sTATEs -PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES A.' BREWER, OF DARIEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO CANNON ENGINEER-ING' C0., 0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, A. CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

MEANS FOB TREATING CLOTH, FABRICS, nrc.

' Application led August 6, 1826. Serial No. 127,691.

My invention consists in a novel method.`

and means for treating cloth, fabric and the like, and more articularlyhas for its object to provide aA evice ofrather simple construction andeasy -manipulation for removing Wrinkles from cloth or fabric. Thisdevice is of such a nature that it can also be used for otherwisetreating cloth or fabric, as for instance, disinfecting it or preventingit from being attacked by mildew or moths. To this end, the devicecomprises a means for producing a vacuum and a means for producing avery finev spray in the shape of a moist vapor, which may be water4vapor (steam), or any other vaporized liquid.

For a better explanation of my invention, yI refer to the appendeddrawing, in which,

lby way of illustration, I have shown in Figs.

1 and 2,.,fa top plan view and side view respectively for one embodimentof my device, the vacuum means and vapor spray being shown in centralvertical sections in Fig. 2, and a portion of the vapor supply tubebeing broken out.

y tube is insertedva plug 2 provided with a bore 3. Onto this plug isscrewed, or otherwise detachably secured, an elongated mouth-piece 4.Adjacent to said mouthpiece there is an elongated tubular member 5 whichis provided along its underside with a vseries of perforations shownat"6. Inside 'said tubular member 5 is an electric heating coil 7, whichby an electric conductor 8 is connected to any suitable source ofelectric energy, from which electric current may be supplied to saidheating coil. The tubular member 5, if desired, may be formed of onepiece with the mouth-piece 4 and is provided with a handle, shown at 9,whereby the device can be easily and 'conveniently manipulated.Preferably, the handle and the tubular member are made of one piece.

At the joint of mouth-piece 4 and plug 2, there is provided a rounddisk-valve 10 Vwhich by means of a pivoted stem 11 canbe moved in itsvown plane 1in either direction to thereby more or less open or closethe bere 3 in the plug. 'To the upperend of stem 11 is secured afinger-piece 12 inthe shapeof a. yoke, into which the finger of the handcan be readily inserted so that as the Ldevice is guided over the clothor fabric, the diskvalve l() can be easily shifted so as to more or lessopen bore 3, or entirely close the same. At 13 is shown the flexiblepipe for supplying`tl1e vapor, such as steam, which enters the tubularmember 5 at one end, as shown at 14 in Fig. l, and passes out in theshape of fine jets or moist spray through the perforations 6. From theforegoing description, the operation of the device will be readilyunderstood.

By grasping the handle 9, the person using the device can easily'guidethe device over a piece of `cloth or fabric, which in Fig. 2 isindicated at 15, being supported on a surface indicated at 16.

Supposing that `while air is sucked through the flexible tube l andwater vapor (steam) is emitted through the perforations 6 of the tubularmember 5, the device is guided over the cloth in the direction of thearrowshown in Fig. 2, then the moisture of the steam will cause thefibres of the cloth to be placed under a tension and as directlythereafter suction is exerted onto the moistened` cloth through theelongated mouthpiece 4, the cloth is slightly drawn into saidmouth-piece, as shown in Fig. 2, and a certain stiffness is imparted tothe cloth, whereby all wrinkles in the cloth are removed as if by magic.As a matter of fact, the cloth need not even be supported on a surfaceas shown in Fig. 2 for the same result will be obtained, when the deviceis passed over the cloth as it is freely suspended in the air.

By a similar operation, all wrinkles can be removed from a suit ofclothes while the suit is worn.

The devicey is also particularly applicable 'foruse inshops to removewrinkles from cloth or fabrics which are made up in bolts and which bymuch handling are often badly wrinkled, the cloth thereby being madeunsalable. In fact, Wherever wrinkles are to be removed or creases areto be produced, the devicewill do it quickly and efficiently withabsolutely no exertion on the part of the operator, who only has toguide the device by means of the handle 9.

Needless to say,` the device can equally well be used for treating clothor fabric, as for instance, for spraying on the cloth a disinfectant orimpregnating it with a medium, either in liquid or gaseous state, toprevent l mildew, for water-proofing the cloth or fabric, or treating itin anyother Way. In some of these treatments, the direction of movementof the device may be reversed from that indicated by the arrow in Fig.2, when, for instance, it is desired to first remove dust or dirtparticles from the cloth prior to its being treated.

The amount of Vacuum can readily be regulated by the hand controlleddisk-valve 10, and if desired, the suction can be interrupted altogetherby the entire closing of the valve.

'I e heating coil 7 in the elongated tubular member 5 is provided toprevent-condensation of the vaporized liquid, as for instance, whereWater-vapor (steam) is used which is supplied through the Vflexible pipe13.

The flexible pipe 13, the flexible tube 1 and the electric conductor 8are, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, held together by a band 17 so as to makethe device more easily guided .and to preventthe parts from becomingentangled.

I claim:

1. In a portable device for treating cloths, fabrics and the like, aperforated tubular member' for directing a vaporized fluid against thematerial to be treated, a vapor condensation preventing means therein,and a vacuum mouth-piece for subjecting the material to suction.

2. A portable device for treating cloth, fabrics and the like,comprising a perforated tubular member for directing a fluid in vaporform against the material to be treated, a vacuum mouth-piece forsubjecting the material to suction, a flexible pipe for supplying thevaporized fluid to said tubular member, anda means in said tubularmember for preventing condensation of the vaporized fluid.

3. The combination as specified -in claim 2, including manually operatedmeans for regulating the suction.

4. In a portable device for treating cloth, fabrics and the like, thecombination of'a perforated tubular member for directing a fluid invapor form against the material to be treated, a flexible pipe forsupplying the fluid to said tubular member, a vacuum mouth-piece forsubjecting the material to suction, a flexible tube for supplyingsuction to said mouth-piece, and means for manually guiding the deviceover the material to be treated.

5. In the combination as specified in claim 4, means forcontrolling theamount of suction comprising a. disk valve, a. shaft to which the diskis rigidly secured and manually operable means connected to the shaftwhereby the same is rocked to open and close the valve.

6. In a portable device for treating cloth, fabrics and the like, aperforated tubular member for directing a vaporized medium against thematerial to be treated, flexible means for supplying said medium to saidtubular member, means for preventing cony 'densation of said vaporizedmedium, a vacuum mouth-piece adjacent said tubular member for subjectingthe material to suction, a flexible connection between said mouth-pieceand the source of vacuum, and a handle for guiding the device.

7. In a portable device for treating cloth, fabrics and the like, avacuum mouth-piece, a flexiblev connection between said mouthpiece andthe source of vacuum, means for controlling the vacuum in saidmouth-piece, a perforated tubular member adjacent said vacuummouth-piece for directing against the material to be treated a vaporizedfluid, a flexible pipe for supplying said vaporized fluid to saidtubular member, and an electric heating coil in said tubular member, aflexible means for supplying electric energy ,to said heating coil, anda handle for guid-l ing the device.

8. A devicepfor treating cloth, fabrics and -the like comprising meansfor directing a .vapor onthe cloth, and means for creating a suction onthe cloth, the first named means being positioned With respect to thelast named means so that as the device is moved` over the cloth theclothWill be treated to the vapor' in advance of the suction.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

CHARLES A. BREWER. y

